


Happy Anniversary

by dietcokeenthusiast



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Corhajat, F/F, Fluff, Oh god this might be the sappiest thing I ever wrote, Sappy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-21
Updated: 2016-03-21
Packaged: 2018-05-28 02:11:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6311014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dietcokeenthusiast/pseuds/dietcokeenthusiast
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rhajat is set to celebrate her and Corrin's one year anniversary, but when it looks like Corrin's forgotten about it, Rhajat has contend with her anxiety and destructive thoughts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Happy Anniversary

Rhajat propped herself up on one elbow, looking down at the still-sleeping Corrin, adoring how positively serene she looked. Rhajat suppressed a giggle; just being around Corrin was enough to make her joyous, giddy, ecstatic even, but there’d be time for that later. With what Rhajat had planned, Corrin could use all the sleep she could get. Their anniversary deserved something special to commemorate it, after all.

Some time later, Corrin finally woke up. Rhajat grinned, watching the way her eyelashes fluttered as she adjusted to the light. “Good morning,” she purred, a blush spreading across her cheeks.

Corrin smiled sleepily, and stretched. “Good morning, Rhaj. You’re up early.”

Rhajat giggled, and leaned down to kiss Corrin, parting her lips just enough to tease her with the tip of her tongue. “Of course I am. Oh, the things I have planned for you today, Princess Corrin,” she grinned wickedly.

Corrin rested her forehead against Rhajat’s. “Plans? What’s the special occasion?”

Rhajat cackled, and nipped at Corrin’s ear. She delighted in the way Corrin gasped as her teeth dragged over the sensitive skin. “You know what today is, don’t you?” She teased.

Corrin’s expression went blank, and for a moment she was completely silent. _Did she actually forget? Impossible._ “Oh! That’s right!” Rhajat’s expression brightened, then immediately fell again as Corrin sprang out of bed. “I promised Takumi I’d go hunting with Kiragi and him today, I’m probably already late!”

Rhajat’s eyes narrowed as she watched Corrin start pulling on her leggings. “You’re joking, right?”

“Why would I be joking?” Corrin inquired obliviously as she slipped into her tunic. “We’ve had this planned for at least two weeks.”

 _Two weeks?! She’s forgotten for a whole two weeks?_ “Well… maybe you can be a little bit late. We’ve hardly even had time to cuddle this morning,” Rhajat hinted, the faintest trace of a pleading tone creeping into her voice.

“Sorry, love, but I really don’t have time,” Corrin sighed, pulling on her eyepatch, and quickly planting a kiss on Rhajat’s cheek. “I’ll be back home tonight, okay? Love you!”

“Love you too,” Rhajat grumbled as Corrin closed the door behind her. It wasn’t like her to be so abrupt. Corrin practically doted on her, and almost never left until they had both been satisfactorily affectionate with one another. Did she kick Corrin in her sleep, or something?

Rhajat threw the blanket off. She needed to find out what exactly was going on. Corrin wasn’t going to get away from her that easily.

\--

Rhajat mumbled to herself as she made her way to the dining hall. So far, it seemed like Corrin really wasn’t around. She had already checked the armory and the library to no avail. Still, Rhajat wasn’t ready to give up the search just yet.

“Oh, hi Rhajat!” It was Sakura’s voice. “It’s a good morning, isn’t it?”

“Oh, hey,” Rhajat replied, coming off a bit more abrupt than she meant to. “You haven’t seen Corrin around, have you?”

Sakura shook her head. “No… did you need her for something?”

“You could say that,” Rhajat replied grumpily. “She apparently made plans to go out hunting with Takumi on our anniversary.”

“Oh… oh!” Suddenly, Sakura’s expression changed, and she seemed far more uneasy. “W-well… she’s probably not going to be too long. B-b-big brother Takumi’s a g-good hunter. They’ll be back soon! I-I’m sure of it!”

Rhajat cocked an eyebrow. “Do you know something? Your expression changed when I mentioned our anniversary.”

“N-nope!” Sakura stammered. “If I see big sister, I’ll t-tell her you’re looking for her!” She quickly bowed, and started for the door. “I, um… need to go now. Happy anniversary!” With that, she hurriedly made her exit.

Sakura was always a bit on the nervous side, but the way her entire attitude changed and the way that she suddenly remembered something she needed to do something... The thought that Corrin might have intentionally scheduled the hunting trip today crossed her mind. That’d be a pretty clear way to tell her to leave her alone.

Rhajat shook the thought off, and decided to move her search to the kitchen. Corrin was more direct than that. As Rhajat tried to open the door, though, she realized that it was locked. It usually never was. She started to pound on the door.

It was Camilla who popped her head out from behind the door a minute later, opening it just a crack. “Oh, Rhajat! Hello, my dear sister,” she smiled.

 _Her too?_ When Camilla greeted someone, it usually involved a hug, gushing about how beautiful they were, and at least one kiss on the cheek. While Rhajat was thankful she seemed to have learned about the concept of personal space, it was yet another person acting strangely today. “Uh, hi. Have you seen Corrin around?”

“Hm? Oh, yes, my darling little sister is off hunting with her hotheaded brother and her adorable nephew. I’m surprised that she didn’t tell you.”

“She did,” Rhajat replied flatly, her patience starting to wear thin. “I’m trying to figure out why she decided this trip needed to happen on our anniversary.”

“Oh, is it your anniversary today? Congratulations!” Camilla replied sweetly. “If that’s the case, my little sister’s been quite rude. I’ll be sure to give her a talking to if I see her. I would love to help you, dear, but I’m afraid I have to get back to cleaning the kitchen. Bye bye for now!”

Before Rhajat could press her for more information, the kitchen door was already slammed and locked again. She pounded on the door, but got no response.

“Ugh!” Rhajat growled, storming off from the kitchen. Camilla had been no help whatsoever. Then, there were new feelings bubbling in the pit of her stomach in addition to anger and frustration. Feelings she remembered all too well from her life in the deeprealm and her first weeks spent with Corrin’s forces.

She was beginning to feel alone. Abandoned. Unwanted. Anxious.

Had Corrin actually forgotten about their anniversary? Did she do something to upset her, and now she wanted to get away from her? Had she done something so awful that even the others wanted to stay away from her now?

She tried to push the thoughts out of her head. With everything they had been through, there was no way that Corrin would forget today. After all, everything seemed okay before, didn’t it? She was being stupid and making a something out of nothing. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her pointer finger. Looking down she had bitten the nail down to a stump. It was even starting to bleed slightly.

Holding on to her finger, Rhajat clenched her teeth, hoping to distract herself from doing any more damage to her hand. For a few minutes, she paced back and forth down the hall, hoping she could soothe herself, but all she got out of it was a sore jaw. Whatever she was doing now wasn’t helping her. Deciding she needed to take a break from her search before things got worse, she started heading to the archives. She’d go do some reading in the glade, calm down, and then continue trying to figure out what was going on.

After spending an hour in the archives grabbing an armful of books and scrolls, Rhajat started to the glade. As she passed near the castle gate, though, she saw her parents, Hayato and Mozu, carrying the body of a boar. That was all the incentive Rhajat needed to delay her study plans to go say hello. Her mother made the _best_ roast boar, and it had been far too long since she had any. The last time must have been when her and Corrin went to visit-

_No. You’re not thinking about that right now._

“Hello mother, father,” Rhajat called out as she approached them. Mozu, clearly not expecting Rhajat to be there, dropped her end of the boar in shock. Hayato, who was already struggling to lift his end, went down with it.

“R-Rhajat! Hello!” Mozu replied nervously. “W-what are you doing here?”

Rhajat looked down at the stack of books and scrolls she was carrying. “Studying.”

Hayato grunted, and tried lift the boar’s body off of him. “Let me guess, demon summoning? Hexes?”

“Oh! Sorry dear!” Mozu interjected as she lifted the boar’s backside off of Hayato.

Rhajat shrugged. “A little from column A, and a little from column B. I like some variety in my studies.”

“That’s lovely, dear!” Mozu chirped.

“Yes, very… charming,” Hayato mumbled.

“So, roast boar, huh?” Rhajat inquired, a slight smirk on her face.

“Well, u-um…” Mozu murmured, staring at her feet.

“Sorry Rhajat, this one’s a bit too stringy for roast,” Hayato jumped in. “We thought we’d just haul it to the kitchen and see what we can do with it.”

Rhajat, hoping that her disappointment wasn’t too visible, nodded. “Fair enough. Hey, since you’re here, have either of you seen Corrin?”

Mozu audibly gulped, while Hayato started to tug on the collar of his shirt. “Haven’t seen her. Nope. Not us,” he replied uneasily. Mozu shook her head in agreement.

Rhajat’s heart sank. _My parents, too?!_ “Look,” she began, ”everyone today’s been acting really weird every time I’ve brought up Corrin. You need to tell me what’s going on here. Did she say something about me? Did she seem angry? Please, tell me.”

Mozu placed a hand on Rhajat’s shoulder. “Rhajat, everything’s fine, but we-“

Hayato cleared his throat before jerking his head in the direction of the keep. “Sorry, Rhajat, your mother and I need to get going.”

Rhajat, frustrated, threw her books on the ground. “Could you just talk to me?”

“Sorry, no time,” Hayato replied as he picked up his end of the boar again, avoiding eye contact with his daughter.

Mozu, picking up her end, just looked at Rhajat sadly. “Hayato, are you sure we-“

Hayato nodded emphatically, ending the conversation. “Take care, Rhajat. Your mother and I will talk to you later.”

Rhajat, clenching her fists, just nodded, watching the two of them leave from the corner of her eye.

There was a difference between solitude and isolation. For the first time in a while, Rhajat found herself on the wrong end of that divide. She was unwanted by her “sisters”, unwanted by her parents, and unwanted by her wife.

Growling, she kicked at the books, and stormed off.

\--

It was nearly dark when Rhajat finally decided to head back to her quarters, defeated. Not a single person wanted anything to do with her, and Corrin had either completely forgotten their anniversary, or worse, had been so disgusted with her she actually wanted to get away from her. She racked her brain trying to think of what she could have possibly done wrong to her. Was it when she commented on Corrin’s cooking? Did she say something offensive and not realize it? Was she just starting to get sick of her? Not that Rhajat could blame her for the last one, even if the thought of it made her feel nauseous. Even her own parents seemed outright annoyed at the idea of having to talk to her. It was pathetic.

Turning the key, Rhajat considered just taking her things and finding some other spot in the castle to sleep. It was obvious that whatever she had done, she probably wasn’t going to be welcomed into bed with open arms. Fate seemed to be screaming to her that she was just meant to be alone, anyways. Who was she to fight it?

When she opened the door, though, she found the entire room lit by candles, the smell of cake and roast boar wafting into her nostrils. Before she could finish processing everything, Corrin practically tackled her, squeezing her in as tight a hug as she could manage. “Happy anniversary, love!” She chimed.

“Y-you... remembered?”

“Of course!” Corrin grinned. “You didn’t think I’d actually go hunting today, did you? I just needed some time to get everything ready, and believe me, you did _not_ make that easy this morning,” she enthused. Rhajat listened in stunned silence. She had been so worried, so anxious, and it was all for nothing? “Sakura helped decorate, I asked your parents to make your favorite dinner, and I made you a cake!” Corrin gestured to the table. “I know you usually don’t like it when I’m in the kitchen, but I got my big sister Camilla to help me out there so I promise it’s as least edible.” Rhajat stayed quiet, staring at the floor. “Rhajat? Love?” Concern crept into Corrin’s voice.

Rhajat wanted to respond, but when she opened her mouth the words wouldn’t come out. Her breaths came out shaky, and the lump in her throat just got bigger and bigger. She felt the warmth of tears welling up in her eyes, and looked downward.

“Rhaj? What’s wrong?” Corrin closed the distance between them, cupping Rhajat’s face in her hands. Unable to hold back any longer, Rhajat completely let go, burying her face in Corrin’s shoulder and breaking out into heavy sobs. Corrin threw her arms around Rhajat, one hand held against her back and the other stroking her hair. Rhajat squeezed Corrin tightly and let everything out; all the hurt, the fear, and anxiety she had been carrying with her all day.

Corrin held Rhajat close, occasionally kissing the top of her head and whispering gentle reassurances. “It’s okay, love,” she murmured. “Let it out. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”

Rhajat nodded, and continued to cling to Corrin. Even if she knew her suspicions were wrong, she still held on as though she were terrified Corrin would slip away at any moment. Her grip didn’t loosen for what felt like hours.

Eventually, her sobbing became less intense, her breathing more measured. “I’m sorry,” Rhajat sniffled. “I ruined your surprise, didn’t I?”

Corrin tilted Rhajat’s head up, kissing her cheeks on the spots where her tears fell. “No, love. You didn’t ruin anything. I just… I thought that this would make you happy? I know your mom’s boar is your favorite.”

“It is,” Rhajat mumbled. “It’s just… it looked like you forgot what today was, and everyone was acting like they were trying to hide something, and that they wanted nothing to do with me. I thought I had done something wrong and made you and everyone else angry with me.”

“Oh Rhaj, no, that wasn’t it,” Corrin reassured her, stroking her hair. “I wasn’t angry with you at all. Just trying to hide what I was planning. The others though, I didn’t think that would upset you. You usually like time to yourelf.”

“I know,” Rhajat whimpered. “But just because I don’t like most people, doesn’t mean I like being alone. Don’t get me wrong, when I was in my deeprealm, I loved having all the time in the world for my research, and all the space I could ever want to myself, but there were times I felt so alone. Nobody there ever wanted anything to do with me, simply because of how I was, and it was years before I’d ever get a visit from my parents.” Rhajat’s breath hitched again, and Corrin gave her a squeeze. “I know you were just trying to throw me off, but I was so worried I did something wrong, then no one else wanted to talk to me either and dammit!” Rhajat touched a hand to her cheek and felt the tears starting up again.

Corrin wiped Rhajat’s tears away with her thumb, and cradled her face in her hands, leaning in for a kiss, slow, soft, and loving.

“I’m so sorry, Rhajat,” Corrin whispered, still resting a hand on Rhajat’s face.

“Why? I’m the one who wrecked all your plans.”

“No, you didn’t,” Corrin replied. “When I was younger, my brothers and sisters would surprise me like that on my birthday, sometimes. They’d pretend to forget what day it was, and then bring me to a big party at the end of the day.”

Rhajat nodded, and leaned in to Corrin’s touch.

“It was different though. Even if I thought they were mad at me or ignoring me for some reason, I never had to worry about them not actually being there. They’d always look after me and let me know that I was loved. I didn’t think about how things were different for you, and how you might take it.”

“Yeah…” Rhajat murmured. “I know you didn’t mean to hurt me.”

“I did, though,” Corrin replied, placing her hands on Rhajat’s shoulders. “I may have wanted to surprise you, but I went about it in completely the wrong way. So, I want to do this right.” Corrin took a deep breath and smiled before continuing.”Rhaj, when I met you the first time, I admit I wasn’t sure what to think of you, but before long I started to see things. Like your brilliant mind. I’ve never seen anyone so devoted to their studies, and so eager to understand magic like you do. Even Nohr’s most powerful mages have trouble summoning an entire army of faceless,” Corrin chuckled. “You have a pretty grim attitude, some strange habits, and a sharp tongue, but it’s all so… endearing. Then, I saw that even if you aren’t loose with your affections and don’t suffer fools lightly, the people you do care about? You do whatever you can to protect them, to look after them. I realized how lucky I was to be one of those people,” Corrin continued, pausing a moment to kiss Rhajat. “That was when I asked you to marry me.”

Rhajat giggled, slowly running her thumb over Corrin’s wedding band. She remembered how she almost fainted from happiness when Corrin asked her.

“When you said yes… I already knew how intelligent, devoted, and beautiful you were, but every day I see how much more amazing you are. Whether it’s how you still watch over me all the time, or what a great mother you are… Gods, Rhaj, I don’t even know how else to describe how lucky I am to have you,” Corrin continued breathlessly. “Rhajat, I love you, and I hope that for everything we’ve had this year, that it just keeps getting better, and that it never ends. This life or the next.”

Rhajat yanked Corrin towards her hard, almost violently, kissing her full on the lips. Rhajat hummed when Corrin, stiff with shock at first, slowly relaxed into the kiss, warm lips moving against her own. Rhajat continued pressing herself further against Corrin, wanting to completely lose herself in her scent, the tiny sounds she made, and the way she felt against her. Though Rhajat felt guilty for ever doubting how devoted her wife truly was, in that moment even those negative feelings were lost in the rush of her affection.

“Destiny really did make me a lucky woman,” Rhajat murmured as she finally pulled away. You’re so strong, brave, loving, beautiful,” she paused for a moment to kiss the palm of Corrin’s hand. “You make everyone so much happier just by being around them, and me… you never tried to change me,” Rhajat sniffled. “You accepted me like I was, even if I was awkward or weird. Or really awkward and weird,” she giggled. “Even when you brought me to tea parties or to royal functions, that was never about making me different. You just wanted me to be happier.”

“Of course, Rhaj,” Corrin smiled. “Why would I want to change anyone I love so much?”

“And I love you too,” Rhajat whispered as she leaned in to kiss Corrin again. “And I’m never, _ever_ going to let you go.”

“Nor I you,” Corrin grinned as she laid back on the bed, pulling Rhajat on top of her chest. Rhajat wrapped her arms around Corrin’s waist, tilting her head up to kiss along Corrin’s jawline. She continued for as long as they lay there, moving up to her cheeks, then her lips, until she had kissed every inch of Corrin’s face. She smirked at the pink hue Corrin’s cheeks had taken, even knowing her face was no better. For a few minutes more, Rhajat and Corrin laid there together silently, hands caressing the other’s faces, their gazes never once leaving each other.

After a long silence, Corrin finally spoke. “So… the dinner’s probably cold by now.”

Rhajat chuckled. “That’s fine. Mother’s roast is still good cold. My mind’s on more important things,” she smiled as she traced finger along Corrin’s jaw.

“Mmmm… could you at least try the cake, though?” Corrin asked, nuzzling Rhajat’s cheek. “I worked really hard on it.”

“Fine,” Rhajat replied in mock exasperation, slowly getting up from the bed to cut herself a piece of cake. Taking a deep breath, she took a bite. The taste was… well… even Camilla wasn’t enough to save Corrin’s cooking. It was burned, dry, and had far too much sugar. She forced herself to continue chewing, even as every second it was in her mouth it threatened to trigger her gag reflex.

“How is it?” Corrin asked when Rhajat had finally swallowed. The look of enthusiasm in her eyes was unmistakable.

Rhajat smiled. Despite the wretched flavor, she didn’t have to force it. “Delicious.”


End file.
